Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 18th, 2011

[Helen Jean Newman]

The challenge, I think, is for them to see the relevance of their carrying the stories or promoting it. We are blitzing all media channels across the country.

I know we actually had some journalists in the province this summer. I can't remember which media it was, but it represented the ethnic media out of Toronto.

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

When it comes to the ethnic media, I think it's not so much about the dollar amount as the personal relationships. We politicians or parliamentarians can definitely help in that respect within our local regions, if efforts are made to reach out to different members of Parliament. We can encourage them to promote it in their own ridings and through the ethnic media.

We were all elected for a reason. I'm sure all politicians are liked by the ethnic media and the outlets in their neighbourhoods. I think it could be huge.

We're obviously going to do that. I am definitely going to take up this challenge. If you have ways to get the word out to other parts of the world and other members, be they provincial, municipal, or federal, I think it would help.

Those are the recommendations that I'd like to make.

I have some other questions. Can you elaborate on the relationship with the federal government and how it is helping in this cause? It seems that your partnership with Minister Moore is pretty good, because his name came up a couple of times in the presentation. Could you highlight some of those things?

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

We've had a great partnership with ACOA. Tourism Atlantic has been on board with the campaign from the very beginning. So the federal government has been a willing partner. It's been a really wonderful, unique partnership, with all of us working together on this common goal.

Our MPs across the board, across all parties, have been ready to promote the cause, especially as we count down the final 23 days. Now is when we'll be tapping them even more and broadening that reach out not just to our Atlantic Canadian MPs but also to all of our Canadian MPs. This is Canada's entry, and we need that support in order to be successful.

[Helen Jean Newman]

The Canadian Tourism Commission also--

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

Absolutely.

[Helen Jean Newman]

--has been a big partner with us, doing social media campaigns and profiling the initiative at events that they are doing around the world.

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

What are some of the Fundy-based businesses that will be successful or that will benefit from this at the end of the day? Are you able to name any?

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

There are a lot.

[Terri McCulloch]

There are, I think, over 1,200 tourism-related businesses in the Bay of Fundy region interprovincially. So it's quite a big industry for us.

[Helen Jean Newman]

It's a big area.

[Terri McCulloch]

Yes.

Some of the nature sites are obviously the key sites. Any others with international accolades already, I think, will be appealing to this market—at least as lure sites—such as Hopewell Rocks, the Joggins fossil cliffs, the Fundy Geological Museum, and the new aquarium in St. Andrews.

Whale-watching is also a big growth industry in our region, particularly with the successive years of good whales to watch and a really good visitor experience. As Helen Jean said, part of my job on the product side is to monitor the whale-watching experience. We're extremely tightly monitored, probably the most tightly monitored in the country.

These are the types of things that I think will stand to benefit, the natural experiences--and obviously the accommodations, the food, and everything else you need to go with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Thank you for the questions and the responses.

Madame Boutin-Sweet.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

I'm going to ask my questions in French. I have three questions and two comments, so I will try to speak quickly.

First, I have been to the Bay of Fundy several times and I really enjoyed it. I have gone camping there. Do not forget to promote Saint Andrews. It is a very pretty town, particularly the beautiful but tiny church.

Second, I voted twice, and I've already mentioned this to the committee. The first time I voted using one of my addresses, for one reason or another, I went back and I noticed that my choices were different; my choices had been changed. So, I was played that time, my vote did not go to the Bay of Fundy. So I went and voted a second time. I don't know why it happened, but you could look at this, in case there are any problems.

As for my questions, Mr. Young took the words somewhat out of my mouth. One of them concerns environmental protection, including the human environment. I come from an archeological background. You talked about Sainte-Croix Island—you called it something else—where Samuel de Champlain and Pierre de Gua de Monts went. I know that no one can go there; however, will people one day be able to visit the island? If so, will there be protection for the archeological sites? Will some archeological sites, which need protection, be promoted?

[Helen Jean Newman]

I know that St. Croix Island--Dochet's Island--is jointly viewed by both the U.S. and the Canadian side, and certainly the intention is that it not be visited, as there are other ways for the story to be told. During the celebration in 2004, there were boat tours and certain interpretations. There is a national historic site, a location where you can view the island and hear the stories, those sorts of things. So the intention is certainly never to have that island overrun in order to have that story told.

On the Nova Scotia side, around Grand-Pré and Port-Royal, protections are equally in place.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

There is an old fort too. I can no longer remember what side it was on. I forget the name of the fort, but a fort has been rebuilt.

[Helen Jean Newman]

Are you talking about Port Royal? There are several.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Perhaps it's the one at Port-Royal, but it is not the Louisbourg one.

[Helen Jean Newman]

That's the beauty of having so many provincial and national historic sites around the bay. You have places like Port Royal. You have places like Grand Pré. You have the Martello Tower. When you look at it, there's a lot of it that is already very, very protected.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Yes, I am afraid that some of these sites will be destroyed by tourism. You'll have to be very careful.

You talked about Jean-François Breau, who is the Quebec spokesperson. Other than that, what promotional work are you doing in French? Quebeckers haven't heard a lot about this.

[Helen Jean Newman]

Actually, New Brunswick was very aggressive in the Quebec market. We actually worked with Jean-François and a public relations company out of Montreal to get the message out. Is it as good as we would like it to be? No, because we had a great deal of difficulty in getting the media to pick up the story. They just didn't pick it up.

We offered to arrange interviews with Bernard Werber, who was born in Montreal. And, quite honestly, we just had some real challenges getting the story to take traction. But when Jean-François and his girlfriend recently released a new album, I think on September 20, he mentioned it. He has tweeted about it and when he is on various shows he's mentioned it.

Put it this way: more is better for all of us.

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

And he will be part of the celebrity video release. When we release that celebrity video next week, we'll be rolling out a number of other videos after that main one, and one of them will be Jean-François Breau, and there's This Hour Has 22 Minutes. So we'll have that one major blast of the celebrity video and then subsequent celebrities will be onboard after that.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

In French?

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

Yes.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Do I have any time left?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Eight seconds, seven, six....